Game of Chance
by xenocia
Summary: Kali is given the chance of the lifetime. To travel to any world created by the minds of men. That means meeting Kenshin, Van, Vash, Kyou, or Squall. The possibilities are endless. Only, there's a slight twist. (temporarily frozen)
1. Proposition

Game of Chance

By: Xenocia

Ok! So this is my first fanfic! Everybody clap! Hehe, well I wanted my first fanfic to have a stronger story line, but I guess this is good enough for now ^^ In this first chapter there are only original characters, so I hope you enjoy them. Please make comments about my characters or my style of writing or whatever, criticism's always good (but be gentle) ^^ and if I get enough people reading then I might let you guys make character choices later on. Enjoy! Byebye!

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*~Chapter 1~*

*~Proposition~*

Kali scratched the back of her head absently as she stared out the window. The sky was a clear blue and the sun smiled upon the earth, making a mockery of the hail storm that had been forecasted earlier in the morning. In the background, Kali could hear her teacher continue to drone on in a monotonous tone about either history or math; she couldn't really remember. Kali sighed and slumped onto her desk, directing her attention to the shiny bald spot on her teacher's head. Even though it was her senior year of high school, everyday remained the same. She woke up, went to school, did homework, ate, and went back to sleep. Occasionally, she also had her archery practices after school and kendo classes over the weekend. 

Already bored of the teacher's bald spot, Kali let her gaze wander around the room. She could count the few people she liked in this room on one hand. Everyone else was stuck in their society driven worlds in Kali's mind. 

"What!?" The loud yelp of outrage pierced through Kali's reverie. She turned to glance momentarily at the boy that had stood up with his mouth open in surprise. Pretending to ignore the snickering students behind him, he continued complaining, "_What _did you say?? _Another_ project!? But we just had one!"

"Sit down, Lakin," the teacher said flatly.

Lakin continued to stand for a few moments, then sat, muttering inarticulately. The teacher turned away to answer another student's question. Kali sighed again and laid her head against the cool, smooth surface of her desk. 

After a few moments Kali fidgeted in her seat — it was hard for her to stay in one position for a long period of time. Pulling at the black strands of hair falling into her eyes, Kali glanced at the clock on the wall. The bell should be ringing any moment now. In a few seconds, she'd be free of school and teachers for two days. Kali still had archery club afterwards, but it was hardly as irritating as school was. 

"And so, your homework today is..." The bell rang, interrupting the teacher's sentence. He frowned slightly, but didn't even attempt to stop the students flooding out of the classroom. Kali smiled to herself; the day was already improving. She made a quick stop at her locker to pull out her arm guards and made her way down to the field. 

Unfortunately, when Kali got to the field, she didn't see any of the targets that were usually lined up in a neat row and the normal crowds of people milling around before practice. Instead, all she saw was a single, solitary figure, standing in the middle of the field. Kali frowned slightly. Maybe practice was cancelled? Deciding that asking would be the best choice, Kali broke into a steady trot towards the middle of the field. 

As she got closer, Kali could tell that the person —it was definitely a guy— was faced away from her, so she couldn't tell who it was. When she had gotten within a few feet of him he still had not turned around to look at her, but instead he scratched his spiky bleached hair in a confused manner and muttered to himself. Kali tapped the person's shoulder lightly, "Hey, is club cancelled today?"

The guy whirled around, nearly whacking Kali with his longbow before she instinctively blocked it with her arm guard. "Oh, ah, sorry about that. I'm not really sure what's going on. I just joined today, you see. The name's Lakin," he grinned. 

__

He probably doesn't even recognize me, Kali thought, mentally adding to the list of things that made her hate people like him. "I don't know either actually, but I think I would've heard if it was cancelled. I wonder what happened," she looked around thoughtfully. "It's normal that many of the kids can't come sometimes because of other club activities, but Mrs. Kocis, our teacher supervisor, is usually here anyway."

Lakin clapped his hands together enthusiastically, "That's it! Mrs. Kocis didn't come to school today! I remember! We sat all through Latin without a teacher," his eyes glazed over slightly. "It was great."

"I'm sure it was," Kali glanced over at the locked shed with the archery equipment stored inside and sighed. "We probably should be getting home then. We won't be able to get the targets and such out." She looked suspiciously at Lakin's longbow. "How'd you get that anyway? All the longbows are kept in the sheds since they don't fit in lockers."

"Oh, this? It was easy. Come on, I'll show you," Lakin threw his free arm around Kali's shoulders, blissfully ignorant of Kali's tense shoulders and fierce glare. 

While they walked towards the shed the sky grew steadily darker and the winter wind whirled across the short grass. Before they reached the locked doors, Lakin yelped suddenly, then whined as he rubbed his neck, "Ne, you didn't have to hit me..."

"I didn't," Kali looked at the sky. Large pieces of icy hail had begun to rain down steadily, beating at her forcefully.

"Come on, this way!" A strong hand gripped Kali's elbow, leading her into a dark hole on the side of the shed that was hidden by a cleverly placed pile of wood planks. They had a little difficulty getting Lakin's longbow inside properly, but all in all, they were fine, albeit a little bruised in some places. Kali brushed off some of the smaller ice crystals clinging to her hair while her eyes adjusted to the pitch black of the shed. "There has to be a light somewhere in here. They usually keep at least one in all the sheds... Ah, here!" Kali heard Lakin flip a switch and she saw a small beam of light come from his hand. "There! We should be ok until the hail—" The light flickered. "No... No, don't go out," Lakin pleaded, shaking the flashlight violently. As if his insistent shaking had stirred the flashlight into rebellion, the light flickered once more and then went out for good. "Er... Well, I guess we could live without light. Um," Lakin paced as he thought of something else to say, "so what's your name?"

"Kali, I—" She stopped in mid-sentence. "Do you hear something?" 

There was a pause. "It kind of sounds like a flute, almost like something you'd hear as an anime song," he chuckled softly.

Kali looked over at the dark blob she supposed was Lakin in surprise. That last sentence had been unexpected. "You like anime?"

"Not really," Lakin admitted. "I actually like RPGs more than anything; liking that kind of led me to watch a little anime here and there, but that's it. Do you like anime?"

"Yeah, I used to be in anime club before archery," she smiled, "but then I decided it'd be a good change to try something different and I haven't had much time to watch ever since." Kali looked around again; the air pressure seemed to have changed and been redirected towards a spot in the center of the room. 

There was a scuffling noise coming from the area where Lakin had been. "Do you feel that?" Lakin's voice sounded taut, "It makes my teeth want to grind together. I don't think—" There was a faint popping noise and light flooded the room. Blinking fast to try to get the light out of her eyes, Kali could barely see the tall form in the middle of the shed. When Kali's eyes were clear of the red dots that had been dancing in front of them, she gasped as the figure in front of her came into her vision clearly. It was about the most beautiful being Kali had ever seen in her life. There was no description that she could form with the mundane human language that would do the creature justice. Flowing white hair that shimmered like the northern lights framed an angelic face that seemed to be sculpted by the hands of God. Being in the presence of the creature made Kali feel unfinished and dull. 

The light dimmed slightly and the creature spoke. "A proposition is to be made," the voice was light and breathy, and sounded faintly like the tinkling of glass bells. "A choice given by God's Last Children. Child of dark and the found treasure," Kali nodded, 'dark' was the meaning of her name, and Lakin followed suit a moment after, 'found treasure' being his, "have been given the choice to travel to any world designed by the minds of men." 

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I still haven't chosen what world she should pick to go to yet, so any suggestions would be great, but don't hurt me if I don't use them ^^ it'll probably be because I 1) don't know that anime/manga/game in particular or 2) don't like that place very much or 3) don't know enough about it. The title is also temporary until I can think of a new one; suggestions are also welcome for that. ^^ 


	2. Crossroads

::sniffle:: nobody loves me ;_; the only person that's replied is aya.... ah well, anyway, so far I own everything that I've written ^^ yupyup! Aren't I special? And those of you who recognized Dr. Kocis' name in there congratulations! She was one of the only teachers I genuinely really liked in the upper levels of OLGC. Shame, really. Ah....so I haven't really decided where they should visit yet so I guess this chapter is just an explanation of what's going on... I'm also thinking about whether I should take out Lakin and Kali's conversation about anime. I wanted to introduce anime and stuff into the story, but it seemed kind of abrupt and sudden, and I didn't really like how that turned out, so any comments on that would be good. and I'll try putting the end of the last chapter at the top so you know what happened last and we'll see if that's helpful in any way...enjoy ^^

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*~Chapter 2~*

*~Crossroads~*

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The light dimmed slightly and the creature spoke. "A proposition is to be made," the voice was light and breathy, and sounded faintly like the tinkling of glass bells. "A choice given by God's Last Children. Child of dark and the found treasure," Kali nodded, 'dark' was the meaning of her name, and Lakin followed suit a moment after, 'found treasure' being his, "have been given the choice to travel to any world designed by the minds of men."

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"My name is Tharsis."

Kali drew air into her lungs slowly and murmured more to herself than anyone else. "Angel of life decisions and choices..." Tharsis turned his sightless eyes upon Kali, the milky whiteness in place of colored irises disconcertingly eerie. The light dimmed once again until the room was only lit enough to see by, and Tharsis chuckled. Kali shivered, the sound was melodious and soothing, but taunting and... somehow, full of sorrow, a paradox all on its own.

"Yes," Tharsis stepped towards Kali and stretched out his hand to touch her cheek, but stopped scant inches away, "I suppose that's what the Children here have come to call me." He backed up and smiled sadly. Shaking his head, Tharsis turned to face both Lakin and Kali. "Any questions you might have I will answer to the best of my ability and knowledge, though let it be said that I might not have the authority to answer all. When it is all said and done, I am but a messenger with limited knowledge, nothing more."

"Why?" The question cut through the air like a scythe, clear and void of emotion. Face impassive, Lakin crossed his arms patiently and awaited an answer.

Tharsis smiled at Lakin fondly. "Ah, yes. The age old question, 'why?'," he rubbed a strand of white hair between his fingers thoughtfully. "The best I can tell you is this: it is often in the interest of certain members of the hierarchy to grant a little something to the Children here every once in awhile. I suppose it could be considered a small matter of... charity in the land of the Last."

Kali gazed at Tharsis. Now that the light had been dimmed, he did not seem quite as alien or fantastical as before, but he still maintained a look of immense grace and splendid beauty. Tharsis' hair, white as moonlight, spilled freely down his back, resplendent against a loose, transparent shirt. "You talk about the 'Children' and the 'Last'. What do you mean?"

"God has created multiple life forms over the course of His existence. When He and the universe were still young, He created the First Children and gave them a home on earth. Then, after the minds of men began to build worlds with their own imagination, God created an alternate form of this universe to store these worlds. Because if a world is created and mass amounts of spiritual belief and love for that world exists, then that world _will come to be_." Tharsis gave his sad smile. "Learning from what He had done previously, God set out to create the Last of His Children. Some believe that He created the Last to act as an older sibling to the First, and some believe it was to rule over them. But whatever the case may be, there are always limits to power, and the Last have found theirs. Thus, three worlds can be counted, that of the First, the Alternate, and the Last."

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Limits to power? Kali wondered. She wanted to ask what that might be, but had the distinct impression that that was one question Tharsis would not answer. 

"What's the catch?" Lakin and Kali asked simultaneously in the same dubious manner.

Tharsis laughed at that, his voice full of mirth and surprised amusement. He gently wiped at the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes and replied, "Many times I have presented decisions to people, and not often enough are they wary of things that lie within the shadows. I can still remember how it used to be that all of the First were suspicious of things given with seemingly good intentions, but now it is not so. I suppose things come too easily for them now and are taken for granted. It is refreshing to hear such caution once again; life becomes more interesting with it. But," a somber expression flashed across Tharsis' face, "there are times when trust must be given. Remember it.

"But as for 'the catch'. You are allowed to interact with the world as much as you choose. You are allowed to converse with the people and eat their food. But what you _must not do_ is touch any being that is in any part human or human-like. That is the cost. The deal has been laid on the table. It is now up to you to decide."

To not be able to touch anybody? Presently, the choice was nothing. Kali would give anything to simply be able to talk to any of the characters she'd only experienced through pictures and stories. But would it prove to not be enough later on? It was hard to say. "What happens if we touch someone?" Kali asked slowly.

"You will be given three chances. If either of you touch someone inadvertently or advertently, both of you will be taken to a different world. There are exceptions, of course. Such as, if you were to be brushed against in a crowded street or caught while falling, you would not be penalized. And you two will also be granted one request each. I suggest you consult and think upon it before making a decision on what to use it on. Do not be rash."

"Can we... can we have time to think about it?" Kali asked finally.

Tharsis inclined his head, "Of course, you may have all the time you require to think upon it, but you must do so in the land of the Last. It would not do to let you spend too much time here with so much knowledge. It is simpler to keep watch over you from our land."

"Then would we forget everything once we'd finished with our three tries? And when that happens, how much time will have passed?" Lakin interjected.

"In answer to the first question, you will be allowed to keep those memories, but you will not be allowed to speak of it unless it is amongst yourselves. I will give you an elixir that will serve that purpose once we get to my land. 

"Time passes more slowly here than in the Alternate, but only by a fraction. It might come to be that you will be gone for one month to ten years — it depends. In that time, your family will continue on as if you had not existed. If or when you return, life will continue as normally as if you had never left. Those around you will be subconsciously aware of what changes in you that might have occurred, but in most occasions different reasons for these changes will most likely have to be given."

"Is it alright if we can gather some things before we leave to go to your land, Tharsis? I'd like to get some things from home. We can meet back here in..." Kali glanced at her watch, "two hours, 6 o'clock."

Tharsis regarded Kali and Lakin in the same melancholy manner that seemed to be ingrained in his very bones. "I will wait here until then," he said finally. "I trust you will come."

Kali and Lakin ran out of the shed into the sunlight. Signs of the hail were completely gone. The sky was clear, and the field as smooth and dry as it had previously been earlier that day. They walked off the school campus in silence, and when they had reached the point where they had to part ways, Lakin spoke. "What are you going to do?"

"What I said I'd do," Kali replied flatly. "I'm going to go home, collect a few things, say my good byes, and go back to the shed within my allotted two hours."

"How can you do that?!" Lakin burst out angrily, his blue eyes flashing fiercely. "How can you leave everyone you love behind for this? Don't you understand? How could you leave your friends and family behind? They love and depend on you! Even if they don't remember, how can you leave them?"

"No, Lakin. I don't think that _you_ understand. This is what I've been waiting all my life for. I doubt you would know; you didn't even realize I existed until today, and we've been in the same history class for at least three years now," Kali laughed bitterly. "What friends I have I keep at arms length, they would not grieve for me for more than a week or even a day. And my family, love them as I do, would understand, I think, if I made this choice. I have little to leave, Lakin, but what about you? What people can you truly call your friends—people who you can trust wholly, people who you will honestly miss? I go in search of something more than I can find here. I understand what you're saying Lakin, but I like to keep my options open. Anyway, Lakin," she forced a grin, "we are still only considering. There is always time to change your mind." Kali turned and walked away.

When Kali got home she could smell the aroma of her mom's cooking wafting through the house. Running up the stairs she yelled, "Hi, Mom! I'm home!" Kali heard a muffled response and continued into her room. There, she took from her bedroom shelf the katana her parents had bought for her in celebration of her seventeenth birthday and in congratulations for mastering the form of kendo she had been practicing. After an hour she had finished packing everything that she needed and shoved her window open. Kali dropped her things into a shrub outside and dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen. Seeing her mother, she gave her a hug and said, "Mom, I need to go back to school in about an hour for some archery stuff, ok?"

Kali's mom frowned slightly, but nodded, "Fine, but don't stay out for too long. Now, set the table; we're about to eat." 

After they had finished cleaning up Kali hugged both of her parents and left. She picked up her things outside and ran to school. Kali walked across the field towards the shed and prayed she was making the right choice.

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HAHAH so the 2nd chapter is done! Wooo......well this one had a lot more dialogue in it than the last time and some of the concepts might've been a little confusing as well.... tell me if anything was unclear ^^


	3. Land of Angels

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Ah, so the next one or two chapters will probably be about Tharsis' world (which I still haven't named yet) unless I can figure out which world Kali will be sent to ^^;; so basically I'm stalling hehe.....gomen .

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*~Chapter 3~*

*~Land of Angels~*

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Seeing her mother, she gave her a hug and said, "Mom, I need to go back to school in about an hour for some archery stuff, ok?"

Kali's mom frowned slightly, but nodded, "Fine, but don't stay out for too long. Now, set the table; we're about to eat." 

After they had finished cleaning up Kali hugged both of her parents and left. She picked up her things outside and ran to school. Kali walked across the field towards the shed and prayed she was making the right choice.

***

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"Bring her to me, but leave the messenger. We've no need for him."

"But isn't that considered tampering?"

"_Bring her_."

***

Adrenaline was coursing through Kali by the time she had reached the shed. She could feel her infamously spontaneous personality flare to life where it had been kept dormant and in wait. Pushing open the door to the shed, Kali saw Tharsis standing with his back turned to her, humming a nameless song to himself. Kali closed the door behind her as quietly as possible and tried not to disturb the unwontedly peaceful moment, but despite her efforts, Tharsis turned to face her as soon as the door clicked shut.

"Have you said your good byes?"

"..." Kali swallowed, "Yes, but what about Lakin?"

Tharsis raised his eyebrows, "Do you not already know the answer? He will not come. He has no desire to."

"Oh, I see... It's not like I really care if he comes or not, but it would've been good if I'd talked to him before we left…"

Tharsis placed his hand on Kali's head gently and bent so that they were eye to eye. He smiled softly, "Should you believe in the well-being of something enough, it is bound to become better in one way or another. Do not worry for him. All will be well." Tharsis gestured to Kali's belongings, "Now, place your things on the floor there." Kali dropped her things onto the floor and watched Tharsis curiously. He blinked, eyelids hiding the milky white pupils for a few seconds before uncovering them again, and a warm breeze rushed through the room. Slowly, majestic wings began to grow from his shoulder blades until they were nearly twice as long as himself. Tharsis picked up a feather that had fallen to the floor and placed it on Kali's bag. He whistled a single note and an orb encircled Kali's things, then another note, and they disappeared. 

"Well then," Tharsis shifted his wings slightly and held out his hand, "Come." Kali hesitated, but eventually took it. Using his free hand, Tharsis plucked a feather from his wing and proffered it to Kali. "In case you should need help. A gift from one of the Last always has merit. Call for me, and I shall come."

Tharsis looked away from Kali abruptly and stared into the distance. A warm sensation of ethereal power pulsed from Tharsis' palm into Kali, traveling through her arm and spreading throughout her body. She looked around as the shed shimmered, fading away into white. And for once in her life, Kali felt completely at peace. Power flowed through her limbs, making her feel languorous and insolent, ready to take on any challenge with ease. 

Suddenly, without warning, the white turned to black, and Kali could no longer feel Tharsis' warm and calming presence beside her. All the energy and power that had previously run through her veins dissipated, leaving a void within her heart of hearts. She tried to breathe, but found she could not. Her throat tightened and contracted, as if invisible hands grasped at her neck. Kali put one hand to her throat and another in front of herself to brace her fall as her knees buckled. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face and Kali shook her head furiously in a futile attempt to drive away the black that threatened to fill her vision. Before her head hit the ground, she was vaguely aware of the cold flagstones that she now felt beneath her and a white feather being swallowed by the darkness.

***

Kali awoke to an irritating throb that pounded insistently on her skull. After a few moments she became vaguely aware that the source of the thudding came from someone tapping sharply at her cheek repeatedly. Kali thought that it would be in her best health if the person were to stop and tried to tell him so, but instead, a pitiful groan was all she could manage. Her throat burned and her limbs were stiff and cold. 

The tapping stopped, and the person opened Kali's eyes gently, peering in at her momentarily and letting her eyelids fall again before Kali could focus properly on the person's face. "You'll be fine. Get up." A feminine voice somewhere next to Kali said. 

Kali attempted to sit up, "Ugh..." The sudden movement made her head spin and she still couldn't open her eyes properly. She put her head back down on the ground and mumbled, "I can't..."

"I said _get up_!" The voice repeated curtly, emphasizing the order with a sharp kick to Kali's ribs.

"Leave me alone... I'll get up when I feel better." Kali muttered. The girl stayed silent, and after a few moments of quiet, Kali heard a shuffling sound as the girl prepared to kick Kali again. Kali sighed resignedly and waited for the right moment. Kali grabbed the girl's foot scant moments before it hit Kali's body, then yanked hard, making the girl fall to the ground promptly. Despite the fact that Kali's muscles were still stiff and complained against the excess movement, she got up on her feet and moved quickly, turning the girl over on her stomach. Kali placed one knee on the girl's back and a hand on her neck, pressing her body to the floor. "Didn't I ask you to leave me alone?" Kali asked lazily. "Now, where am I?"

The girl laughed, "You'll know soon enough." A black feather, its edges razor sharp, flew from the shadows, barely missing Kali and dropping to the floor with a clatter after bouncing off the wall, distracting Kali briefly. In that moment, a strong hand grabbed the back of Kali's shirt and lifted her off of the girl, then deposited Kali on the floor a few feet away. 

Honey colored eyes flashed through the darkness at Kali and she squirmed, turning to look up at the stranger. He was tall and looked to be in his early twenties. His black hair was curled into a simple knot at the back of his head, held in place with a plainly decorated stick. "Stay." Dumbstruck, Kali watched as he turned and helped the girl to her feet. 

"What took you so long, Rave?" The girl snapped as she smoothed out her clothes. She was a little shorter than Rave and was probably about the same age as him. Her hair was cropped and a deep forest green which accented the sea foam color of her eyes.

A slight smile played across Rave's lips as he looked at the girl, "Disgraceful." Then he turned to look at Kali. He ruffled the girl's naturally messy hair and said, "Hela."

"Yes, yes, my name is Hela, and this is my brother Rave. If you hadn't noticed, he doesn't talk a lot, so don't expect too many words from him. We came here to pick you up because someone botched the spell that was supposed to get you here."

"You." Rave accused Hela, with an amused expression on his face.

Hela glared at Rave. "Well, if someone hadn't—"

Rave sighed and crossed his arms, "Time."

Hela groaned, "You're right, he'll be mad if we don't show up soon." She walked out the only door in the room without looking back and said, "Come on. Let's go."

Kali hesitated, not willing to get off the floor and follow Hela. Who was this person that Hela and Rave were talking about? What had happened to Tharsis? What was this place? Kali clenched her fists and bit her lip. She considered her options. Running was out of the question, and she wouldn't be able to dispatch both Rave and Hela. It was doubtful that Kali could even beat Rave barehanded if he were alone. As she sat thinking, Rave came up behind her and patted her gently on the back. Extending his hand to her, he smiled and said, "Come." Kali took his hand and, following like a child, allowed him to lead her into the dark depths of the hallway beyond the room door.

***

Kali, Hela, and Rave walked through the dark hall, the clicking of their footsteps the only sound that pierced the silence. After a time, they reached a large set of wooden double doors. Rave looked at Kali and placed a hand on the smooth wood. "Steel—inside." Then he backed up, allowing Hela to approach the doors. Seemingly from nowhere, Hela pulled out a black feather and traced a complex rune in the air, muttering softly as she did so. The large doors creaked open. "Safe," Rave reassured Kali, grasping her hand again and leading her across the threshold.

The room was dimly lit by torches that adorned the walls. In the center was a deep pool, surrounded by a forest of plants and exotic flowers. The stone tiles had been ripped from the ground, exposing moist, rich soil, and the roof opened to the vast expanse of sky above. Hela strolled towards the pool and shouted, "Steel! She's here!" They waited for a few moments, but no reply came. Hela frowned and looked at Rave, "Where did he go? Let's split up and look." Rave nodded, and they both set out into the copse, heading in different directions.

Left alone, Kali sighed and began to wander around aimlessly instead of staying in the area that Hela and Rave had left her in. As she walked, she took in her surroundings. There were a variety of flowers that Kali had never seen or heard of before; some of them had vibrant and bright colors and others were dark and morose in color. Kali recognized the shapes of a few, but they were differently colored or would not have survived in that particular climate had it been earth. She bent down and picked up a particularly dark colored rose, fascinated by its black color, then straightened back up, still holding the rose and absentmindedly stroking the stem. "Ah," Kali winced and looked down at the rose; one of its thorns embedded in her thumb. She pulled the rose part from her thumb gingerly, watching as a bead of blood swelled into existence and dropped down into the dirt. Making a movement to wipe the blood away, she cursed at the rose's irritating external defense. But before she could do anything, a hand caught her wrist and an arm wrapped around her from behind. 

"Hello, Kali," a soft voice murmured in her ear. 

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MUHAHHA! so how did you all like the third chapter? it's not wonderful, but you'll just have to live with it for now... ah! and thanks for reviewing dee-chan ^^ it makes me happy that someone else it reviewing ^^ yataa! from one to two! yaaayyyy


	4. Familiar Faces

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hihihi!! here's the next chapter! with Johanna's help, I've put in a lot of revisions into the last three chapters, but nothing that really changes anything integral to the storyline. So I'd like to say thank you to Johanna! And I still haven't decided where Kali'll go yet, but I think I'd like to do a side story type thing where she goes to Terre D'Ange with Cassilines and everything ^^ but then again, I might not do it cause I'm not sure if I could properly write about D'Angeline personality and culture ^^;; and I'm really sorry that this chapter has taken so long for me to post up, but you might be happy (or saddened) to know that I'm working on a harry potter fanfic now and it should be up soon. I'd also like to add that this is the first time I've tried writing something like this and that this chapter is probably my least favorite out of the ones I've written so far ^^;; 

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*~Chapter 4~*

*~Familiar Faces~*

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"Ah," Kali winced and looked down at the rose; one of its thorns embedded in her thumb. She pulled the rose part from her thumb gingerly, watching as a bead of blood swelled into existence and dropped down into the dirt. Making a movement to wipe the blood away, she cursed at the rose's irritating external defense. But before she could do anything, a hand caught her wrist and an arm wrapped around her from behind. 

"Hello, Kali," a soft voice murmured in her ear.

Kali stiffened, making her captor chuckle appreciatively as he released her. The laughter sounded oddly familiar to Kali's ears, could it be…?

"It's just me! Chill. I didn't think you'd freak out so easily." 

Kali spun around to face the speaker, "Who are you?"

The spiky haired boy standing in front of Kali looked hurt, "I was only kidding, did I piss you off that much? It's me, Lakin."

Of course it was Lakin, what was she thinking? "No, no… I'm sorry, I must be seeing things. It's really you then, Lakin?"

"Yup, in the flesh," he grinned impishly.

"Tharsis said that you weren't coming…" Kali bit her lip, unsure of what to think.

Lakin took two steps forward and placed his finger under Kali's chin, tilting her head up. "But I'm here now," he whispered, kissing Kali gently and running his tongue along her bottom lip briefly before letting her go. 

"Who… Just who are you, really?" Kali choked, pressing her hand to her mouth as she stumbled backwards. 

"Come on, Kali. It's just me, Lakin." He moved forward, stretching out his hand to her. Kali continued to back away, faltering and finally tripping. "Stop being silly or you'll hurt yourself," Lakin scolded.

Kali groped for anything she might be able to use for defense, but only found a small shard of the old stone floor. She jumped up as he came near again, slashing the rock at him and making a shallow cut down the right side of his face. Kali backed up again and made a quick study of Lakin. His eyes were still shut from when he had blinked in surprise during Kali's attack. The lids opened and Kali gasped.

His right eye, which had been a normal clear blue, was now a fierce yellow with a slit pupil in the center, resembling a snake's eye more than a human's. Yet his left eye remained the same color as it had been previously, and before she could think on it further, the mismatched eyes had become duplicates once again.

***

"Looks like he got to her first, Rave. Poor thing, I almost feel sorry for her."

"Help?"

"Yes, I think it's about time we intervene."

***

"Steel," Rave walked out from the shadows.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hela demanded, appearing at Rave's side.

"Just having a little fun," Lakin replied as he pulled his hand away from the cut at his face, fingers sticky with blood. The cut glowed white briefly and slowly closed itself up. He grinned, "I suppose it's time for proper introductions." Closing his eyes, Lakin's blonde hair melted into metallic silver strands that fell about his eyes and cheeks, and he seemed to grow taller, but his form was still lithe and wiry. When he opened his eyes, his right was the same yellow with the slit pupil she had seen before, and his left was almost normal except for the fact that it was extremely pale blue in color. 

"My name is Steel," he said, bowing with a flourish and tucking a strand of hair behind a pointed ear. "It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Kali looked around warily, finally asking Rave and Hela, "What… exactly is going on?"

"Meet Steel, master of this quarter and shape shifter extraordinaire," Hela said dryly. "Ironically, he's also a conceited, egotistical little boy who needs to grow up."

Steel pouted exaggeratedly, "I am not…"

"Explanation," Rave interrupted, looking at Kali pointedly.

"Ah, right. Well, I'm a shape shifter." Steel turned his attention back to Hela.

"More."

"Rave's so boring… Always have to be so damn _considerate _and _gentlemanly. _Fine then. In short, by touching someone, I can see people involved in their lives and I can change my shape to that of anybody the person has stored in their memories," Steel frowned. "That was a little confusing, wasn't it? Let's put it this way. When I touched you, I could see into your memories and the people within them. I happened to pick one of the more recent people active in your life—Lakin—and shape shifted into him. But when I'm surprised or panicked and have trouble keeping my shape, my right eye changes back to its original color. I think that's about it." Steel cocked his head, "And it seems like that's all we'll have time for. It looks like he's found you."

"Found… me?" Kali asked, still stunned.

"Reinforce defenses. He might bring the whole place down, he's pretty mad." Steel murmured, looking off into the distance.

Rave and Hela both got down to one knee and placed a palm down into the dirt. They began to chant simultaneously, repeating the same phrase, "_Actun favlis nachta_." With each verse, a brilliant white half dome would expand from the point where their hands touched the ground until the two domes melted into one and surpassed the ceiling, seeping into the cracks and fortifying the room. 

The moment Hela and Rave finished, the room began to rumble and the floor shook beneath their feet. "Here he comes. Tharsis is usually pretty mellow, but he can get kind of scary sometimes. I wish he wouldn't try to decimate the place," Steel sighed and ducked, lazily avoiding a fiery white ball of energy that was aimed at him as if he had expected it. Kali turned to look in the direction the attack had come from. 

Tharsis stood by a tree, face impassive. "Dear brother, what do you think you're doing?" he asked, voice deceptively sweet.

"Brother?" Kali asked.

Tharsis turned to Kali, "Near brother," he explained. Then turning to face Steel again, "I demand an explanation."

Steel grinned apologetically, "I was only having a little fun. And besides, I was curious. It's not very often one of the First is brought into our world."

Tharsis sighed, and his anger seemed to dissipate around him, "You know I can never stay mad for long, especially when I'm around you. I seem to have a weak constitution for it. I'll let it go, but try to behave. Not everyone's as nice to you as I am."

"Got it," Steel replied, almost respectfully. 

"Good. Have you decided yet, Kali?"

Kali started, she hadn't realized that Tharsis had begun talking to her, "What?"

"Have you decided if you wanted to take up our proposition yet?" Tharsis elaborated patiently.

Kali glanced at Steel, Hela, Rave, then at Tharsis. It'd be interesting to meet more people like the ones she'd encountered in the last 24 hours. "I'll go."

"Then it's time to depart. Your things," Tharsis retrieved Kali's backpack and katana from seemingly nowhere and handed them to her. Holding her hand, she felt the familiar pulse and closed her eyes. 

"Kali," Steel called out, interrupting her reverie, "I have a feeling that we'll meet again." He grinned wolfishly and winked, "You're a great kisser by the way." 

Before Kali could reply, the room faded away, and she was once again shrouded in white, Tharsis by her side. Though this time, he was looking at her with a bemused expression on his face.

"What exactly happened between you and Steel?"

"I'll tell you later. It's a long story."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Yayy!! 4th chapter done! Woooooo….. ok, now I just have to finish the first chapter of my harry potter fic and live through SOLs ;_; too much work! But I'm just happy that thesis paper is over! Well anyway, keep reviewing! It gives me incentive to write ^^ and if you're feeling particularly generous, I wouldn't mind if you advertised for my story the next time you post a chapter up in one of your fanfics ^^;; Anyway, when you review this time I want to know who your favorite character and who your least favorite character is and why…..and I still don't know where Kali's gonna go yet…. Hehe ^^;;


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